StarCraft 2 adding Global Play

"In the coming months," according to an announcement today, Blizzard will add an option to play StarCraft 2 against anyone in the world. Cross-region play functionality was mentioned back in May by the developer, but Blizzard is following up with additional details. To play on other regions, you'll create a separate profile for each server region you'd like to play on. "Each region will have separate profile data, meaning that characters, profiles, ladder rankings, progress, and friends lists will not carry over from region to region," says Blizzard.

On the surface, this added functionality should open the door for smaller, self-operated worldwide tournaments and—more than two years after release—let American, European, and other players compete on Asian ladders. "WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY," writes one Redditor on /r/starcraft. Blizzard says they'll share additional details soon about Global Play. In the meantime, they've shared these scraps of information:

Players will be able to freely switch between regions via the StarCraft II login screen.

When your region's game servers are undergoing maintenance, you may be able to play in a different region that is not down for maintenance.

Your game language and user interface will not change when you change regions.

Players using Global Play will be subject to the in-game policies of their selected play region.